Looking Closer
I agree with Victor Morton. Let’s not condemn a movie before we see it. (more…) Read more
I agree with Victor Morton. Let’s not condemn a movie before we see it. (more…) Read more
John Wilson reviews The Yiddish Policemen’s Union: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union is the best new novel I’ve read so far this year, and I won’t be surprised if it wins another Pulitzer or some comparable recognition. It is also a deeply frustrating book… Read more
Here’s my good friend Martin Stillion writing about this year’s Film, Faith, and Justice film festival in Seattle. Sounds like I missed a challenging event. (Wanted to go, but deadlines took over.) Read more
As I mentioned Friday, it’s the week of Star Wars’ 30th birthday, so I’m trying to put aside my resentment over the prequels’ failures and remember what made Star Wars great. You know, I might just get excited about Star Wars again if I’m not distracted by bad acting, bad directing, or bad scripts. We’ll see what Clone Wars looks like when we actually get to experience the stories, but the animation in this promotional preview grabbed and held my... Read more
Theology, the latest album by Sinead O’Connor, is coming next month. Her life has certainly been interesting to watch from a distance, but I gotta say, there aren’t many singers whose gifts move me the way O’Connor’s voice does. Whatever strange turns she might take, whatever claims she may make about herself in the next wave of interviews, I’ll always be there to hear her sing, and be grateful to the Creator who fashioned that voice. In fact, I’m going... Read more
This interview was my favorite ten minutes of late-night talk show ever… this spontaneous, unpredictable David Letterman interview with Steve Martin about Roxanne, Bill Murray, and the fine art of pencil-throwing. “And if you’ve ever been on the floor of a context…” Oh, how I miss THAT Steve Martin. It’s also cool to see the commercials that came on during the break. And to consider that some of Dave’s most creative stuff took place during the writers’ strike. Read more
On May 25, 1977, Star Wars arrived. I could wax nostalgic and tell you what that did to my seven-year-old imagination, how it changed my life, how it encouraged me to envision “a larger world” … but I’ve told that story in Through a Screen Darkly. I’d like to know your Star Wars story. Where did you first see it? With whom? How old were you (if you’re willing to share)? What was your first impression? How has your impression... Read more
Stopped over at the blog of my dear friend Geoffrey Deweese, a military attorney stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington; husband of my longtime friend Melody Fields, and father of two newborn twins, and two more beautiful children. I remember when Geoffrey wrote for Seattle Pacific’s student newspaper. He has always been a guy with a heart as big or bigger than his formidable intellect. His job is challenging, and his courage is great. He and Melody are making a big... Read more
Lloyd Alexander was one of the fantasy authors who inspired me to write story after story as I was growing up. He died last Friday, and I didn’t learn about it until today. What a loss. Alexander’s The Prydain Chronicles remains one of the great achievements in fantasy writing… not just for children, but for anyone. The Horned King became a permanent fixture in my nightmares long before Disney’s lousy (but visually enthralling) adaptation The Black Cauldron. (more…) Read more
I’m “in the zone.” I’ve “jumped a train.” I’m hanging on to the story while it charges ahead. The sequel to Auralia’s Colors has the tentative title Cyndere’s Midnight. And I’m going to be writing it on lunch breaks, coffee breaks, evenings, and weekends between now and the end of June. It’s a “fairy tale for grownups”… a sort of Pan’s Labyrinth meets The Island of Dr. Moreau meets… um, would you believe Three Colors: Blue? Anyway, here’s how you... Read more
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